Whether you're picking up coffee, paying for cellphone service, or buying a car, that's consumer spending. Spending by consumers (or on their behalf, like an insurance company paying part of your hospital bill) is a big force in the nation's economic growth. BEA produces the foremost measure of spending by U.S. consumers, also called personal consumption expenditures, or PCE.
What can you do with consumer spending numbers?
Answer questions like:
- How strong was consumer spending compared with the month before?
- What types of goods or services saw a rise in spending?
- How did a sharp increase in food or energy prices affect consumer spending?
Consumer spending is a key component of quarterly gross domestic product. BEA's monthly consumer spending statistics also are closely watched as early gauges of the economy's strength. Spending data for the nation and each state help businesses predict consumer behavior and make decisions about hiring and investing. These statistics also help policymakers and researchers understand the interplay between Americans' incomes, spending and saving. More detailed data on what people buy are released annually.
BEA’s consumer spending data includes:
Consumer Spending
The nation's primary measure of consumer spending, or personal consumption expenditures. These statistics show the goods and services purchased by, or on behalf of, people living in the United States.
Released quarterly and annually with gross domestic product and monthly in the personal income and outlays release.
Consumer Spending by State
The goods and services purchased by, or on behalf of, people living in each state and the District of Columbia. These statistics provide insight into the strength of a state economy and consumers' buying trends.
Released annually in October.
Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index
A measure of the prices that people living in the United States, or those buying on their behalf, pay for goods and services. The PCE price index is known for capturing inflation (or deflation) across a wide range of consumer expenses and reflecting changes in consumer behavior.
Released quarterly with GDP and monthly with the personal income and outlays release.
Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, Excluding Food and Energy
This is often referred to as the "core PCE price index." Two categories that can have price swings – food and energy – are left out to make underlying inflation easier to see.
Released quarterly with GDP and monthly with the personal income and outlays release.
Note: In addition to the data above, BEA also produces Underlying Detail Tables showing spending estimates for more detailed categories of goods and services. These tables should be used with caution, however, because the quality of the data is significantly lower than the published data covering higher-level categories. These tables and more information about them are available in the National Data section of our Interactive Data.
Learn more:
- NIPA Handbook, Chapter 5: Personal Consumption Expenditures
- For more about the PCE Price Index and other price measures, see the Prices & Inflation learning page.